Crazy
OPINION: Your canine crusader was truly impressed by the almost unanimous support given by politicians of all stripes in Parliament to the recent passing of legislation for the NZ/EU free trade deal.
In a new policy announcement made this morning, the ACT Party says rural regulations will be the first to hit the chopping block if the party is elected.
According to party leader David Seymour, who announced the policy from a farm in Rotoorangi in the Waikato, the primary sector would be one of the first four sectors to undergo what he calls a ‘red tape review’ by a new Minister and Ministry of Regulation.
“New Zealand’s biggest export industry is tied up in endless red tape,” says Seymour. “If we want New Zealand to have a prosperous future and a productive economy, we need to let farmers get back to what they do best.”
Already set for the chopping block if ACT is elected, Seymour says, are the following:
“There has been an avalanche of red tape and regulation on farmers. These are just the big ticket items, every farmer we’ve spoken to seems to have a fresh example of a new compliance course or form of paperwork they’re having to complete to keep the Government happy,” says Seymour.
He says ACT would task its Ministry of Regulation with working with the rural sector and understanding the burdens farmers face from different regulations.
“Many of the regulations that farmers need to comply with are designed to achieve similar objectives and should be simplified to avoid wasted effort. Other regulations were obviously written by Wellington bureaucrats who have probably never worn gumboots in their life,” he says.
“Farmers need real change,” he says.
“Farmers in countries who are our biggest trading partners are not paying a price for their methane emissions,” says Seymour. “Under ACT, New Zealand farmers wouldn’t either.”
“If we set more aggressive targets than other countries, it will not only harm the economy but also force activity to less efficient jurisdictions, increasing global emissions,” he says.
“ACT wants to see the rural sector given the respect it deserves. That means letting farmers get on with what they do best.”
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.